By the Edge of My Sword: a Tweenager's Fanfic
by WriterOfBooks
Summary: Mary Su-I mean Rebecca, who's Independent and Strong-Willed and Not Like Other Girls, has been in an orphanage all her life, but she's about to be whisked away on an adventure by a familiar pointy-hatted Hero... Transcribed from an old Flower-Covered Journal is a fanfic that I am not at ALL proud of. Please read the Foreword. Updated every Monday and Thursday.
1. Chapter 0 - Foreword

This . . . is a Legend of Zelda fanfiction.

Oh, it's not just an ordinary Zelda fanfic. It's not the kind that creatively fleshes out previously unexplored areas of the canon. It doesn't ask the deep questions about how events in the story would affect the psyche of the main characters. It in no way leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling about the state of humanity and those who help to leave its creative mark on the universe.

It's a fanfiction written by a tweenage girl. It's the kind of fanfiction that contains a literal self-insert Mary Sue, a stereotypical jealous mean girl who loves the author's favorite character, and the nonchalant _killing off_ of one of the most pivotal characters of the original work. It's written by someone who didn't bother to do a lick of real research on the game aside from what she knew from playing Twilight Princess. It's just a few blatant malapropisms away from being a stereotypical badfic.

It's a facepalmingly bad fanfic written by little eleven-to-twelve-year-old _me._ I'm transcribing it word-for-word (and grammar-mistake-for-grammar-mistake) from a flower-covered, handwritten Journal that I used to read to my best friend. It's not even finished.

Having said that, don't bother to leave any constructive criticism. I know what I did wrong. I know this is bad; that's the entire reason why I'm posting it. It's here to entertain and maybe even teach.

I dealt with some weird stuff in this fanfic, and I'll trigger-warn the chapter that deals with suicide, but if there's anything else you want me to label, I'll label it as soon as I can.

One last thing: if anyone cares enough about this thing to even answer, would anyone like to see an MST version on Tumblr or something with my notes and snark? I would be more than happy to comply.


	2. Chapter 1 - I Get an Awesome Sword

[AN: I don't think I need to tell you lovelies that intimidating ≠ romantic. That's . . . really all I have to say here, except that I have tried to copy every single word just as it was in my Flower-Covered Journal. Spelling and grammar mistakes are intentionally untouched.]

It was a clear day. The sun was shining brightly, the clouds were fluffy, and the Market was as busy as ever.

I was walking through the streets, looking at the different shops. It was late morning. There were two restaurants, one cheap, and one with great food (or at least had more rave reviews.) I had little money—just 420 rupees—but I still decided on the more expensive of the two—"Goron Eats". Its chef and owner was a kind old Goron named Nandanu, and he loved regulars. I used to frequent Goron Eats, but since I lost my job at the stables, I never went there again . . . until this point.

As I walked into the rustic building, Nandanu grinned at me. "Well! If it isn't me ol' pal Rebecca! Why don't you come any more, eh?" His voice boomed across the restaurant.

I tried to ignore the now unfamiliar scent of granite dust and molten lava as I said, "I lost my job. I just got enough rupees to get a bite to eat here."

Nandanu chuckled, his rotund belly shaking like his famous berry gelatin. "Hey, tell yeh what—have some Ordon plate, on the house!"

I smiled broadly. "Thanks, Nan! But, ah, could you throw in some limestone dust? . . . I miss your old secret ingredient."

Nan laughed heartily. "Sure! Just, I'll have t' give yeh the half dose—HEY! WOMAN!" He yelled back to his wife, Manindaru. "I NEED SOME ORDON PLATE—NUMBER 82B!" He turned back to me as I heard Manindaru chuckling. "So, anyways, times're tough—for all of us. Ever since that blasted Ganondorf shut off all of the trade, I've gotten fewer customers, less money . . . less limestone. Shame we have to use the cave routes." He held out a rough hand, in which the pretty and round Manindaru placed a plate of meat, eggs, and pumpkin. "Thank'ee, m'dear. Anyways, the 'conomy's crumblin'. But still, I got a friend who'll set'ee up. He's got fewer workers, since he works near the trade routes, but he pays well and works a stable." My eyes glistened. Nan noticed. "Ah! Know y'd like that. He's a regular here should come any minute—"

"Ah! Nandanu!"

I turned around to see a man—if you could call him a man. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he must've been just a year older than me. (I was 16 at the time.) What really stuck in my mind was his clothes—a green, pointed hat, a green tunic, gauntlets, white pants, brown boots, and underneath his tunic, a white shirt and chain mail. On his back he wore a sword, shield, and quiver, and on his face he wore a wide grin.

Nandanu laughed again. "Oh, my old friend! I was just telling her about you!" Nan gestured towards me. I turned back towards my Ordon plate, trying to hide my face.

"Oh, really? I hope you were only saying good things!" His laugh was . . . clean? Kind? Like water pouring into a pond? As these thoughts crossed my mind, I turned red. Here I was, thinking it'd be a stubble-faced old man, with a gruff voice but kind heart. And there he was, my future boss, making actually funny jokes and wearing polar bear pants. And there Nandanu was, showing the difference between the two.

There was an empty seat beside me, which I hastily tried to subtly fill with my coat, but the young man sat down in that seat. "Fix me up with the usual, Nan." He turned to me. "Name's Link." He held out his hand.

I examined it. It looked soft and warm, but still strong. I tentatively put my hand in his.

Before I could react, his left hand shot out and pulled up my sleeve, revealing a long scar on my forearm.

He raised an eyebrow. "Spar much?"

I pulled my arm out of his grasp. "N . . . no."

Link raised his other eyebrow.

"Not in a while . . . I used to . . . a lot . . ."

Link blinked slowly.

"Y . . . yeah," I said submissively.

Link smiled. "Do you have your own sword?"

"No."

"Well," Link said, "Aren't you the little warrioress! Sparring so much."

"I'm good with horses," I burted out.

I heard the distinct sound of pottery on steel as a plate of potatoes and beef slid across the counter in Link's direction. Without looking away from me, he held out a hand and caught the plate. His eyes still on me, he carved a piece of steak and put it into his mouth. As he chewed, he turned in his chair so that his whole body was facing me.

"You _really_ want that job, don't you?"

I shifted uncomfortably. He was intimidating me.

But all fear of him melted as he said, "Then let's buy you a sword!"

* * *

I almost felt comfortable as Link led me through the streets, waving nonchalantly at passers by. A few girls giggled as he waved at them. Upon later questioning, he replied, "Keeps them from tailing us. One wave is just as good as one look to them!" At this, he laughed, and my first impressions seemed correct once more.

After a while, we found an armor and weapons shop called "The Whestone". Link showed me different swords, and I tried them, but every single sword felt like a hunk of metal in my hand.

At last, when I had tried the last sword, I fully expected it to feel dead—I didn't expect it to flame up.

One minute, there was a sword in my hand; the next, a blade of fire. The head singed the hair on my fingers, but my hand felt cool. I even touched the white-hot sword, but it felt like cold steel. Link attempted to do the same, but he pulled his hand back before he even got within six inches of the blade.

The owner of the shop, a retired knight, looked as if he had seen a light spirit.

"Y . . . your sword . . ." the man stuttered. "You were meant to have it. Only a sword which has chosen its holder will flame."

"Such a noble blade requires a name," Link said.

I looked at the sword and held it at arm's length, parallel to my face. "Noble sword, which lighteth in mine hand, I name thee . . . FIRESTORM!"

There was a stunned silence as the sword's fire died out. I stared at the blade, afraid that I had insulted it. Then, suddenly, _WHOOSH!_ A pillar of fire appeared, engulfing my swordblade. In surprise, I dropped the sword, which clattered to the ground. Then, as if someone were picking it up, the sword pointed straight up and slowly hovered upwards. The pillar of fire began to turn faster and faster around the sword, and the flames became brighter and brighter, until it became hard to look at. I heard lightning crackle, and the sound of energy building up. I closed my eyes tightly as there was a flash of bright light. When I opened my eyes, and saw only the white-hot shape of the sword. I vaguely heard Link say, "Take it!" as I grasped the handle. There was another flash, and the sword was different.

On the pommel, there were two rubies, each with a golden symbol that looked like fire. The hilt was decorated likewise; two rubies with the symbol in gold. Also on the hilt was letters, in a different language. But in my language, engraved into the blade, was the sword's name—FIRESTORM.

I stared at FIRESTORM and swung it. An arc of flame followed the burning blade. I grinned.

The shop owner stared at the sword and said, "Take it. It's free!"

[One more AN: FIRESTORM is always in SMALL CAPS in the Flower-Covered Journal. Here, it will be in ALL CAPS. And yes. It's like that for the entire story.]

[Edit: if you didn't think this chapter was very awful, trust me-it gets so, so, _so_ much worse.]


	3. Chapter 2 - A Crazy Guy Laughs Outside

During the following week, I got settled into my job at Link's stables. I was one of the only workers there. There were two others, and I could tell that they were only there for Link. They were both girls, 16, and weak—they hated the work, but loved Link. Personally, I was sick of them.

Link let me stay in the guest room of his little farmhouse, which was about a mile from the aboveground trade route. He shared my opinion of the two girls, and knew how annoying they could be. They hated my guts, but whenever they expressed this, I just smirked.

Link trained me in the art of swordsmanship. He gave me a nice shield, which looked like the symbol on FIRESTORM's pommel and hilt. Link was a master; his sword seemed to come alive in his hand, a darting, nipping, biting metal beast, searching for weakness and exploiting it, looking for strength and turning it against me. Link never seemed to break a sweat or tire. He never lost his rhythm. CLANK-CRASH-CLINK-SHINK! Our swords met many times. Our goal was to disarm the other, but Link always won.

After a particularly trying session, I was left doubled over, attempting to catch my breath. Link was breathing just a little heavily, but not enough that he seemed tired. He looked as if he had jogged around the farmhouse twice, instead of fighting me for half an hour. Heck, if I didn't know any better, he had just moved a crate from one end of our main barn to the other.

Link was patient and kind. After a few minutes, Link helped me up to my feet and over to the farmhouse, where he got me some water and assessed my condition.

"Rebecca! Y . . . your hand's bleeding!"

I looked down at my right hand and saw glistening red blood coming from a wound on the back. I gasped.

Link had some cloth to dress my wound, which he wound around my hand, gently, as if my hand was a baby bird. When he was done, he lifted my chin with his hand.

"Are you okay now?" His hand brushed my cheek as he brushed a strand of hair from my face.

I hesitated, then pulled away. "I'll be fine . . . sir."

Link smiled. "It's Link."

I withdrew fully and rubbed my hand. "Sir . . ."

"Okay, Link, I finished grooming the horses and—oh." One of the stable workers had just come in and seen Link with his hand still outstretched. She looked hurt as she said, "Well. If I was interrupting anything, I'll just leave."

I stood up and pushed past her. "You weren't interrupting anything, Angelina. He wounded me in sparring, and he was dressing my wound." After a questioning look at Link, I left, but after I closed the door, I remained, my ear to the door.

"Oh, now I get it." A feminine voice, dripping with hatred. Angelina.

"I did NOT wound her on purpose!" A male voice, defensive. Link.

"Oh, yes you did! I've seen you! You favor her over Rheana and me! You let her stay in your guest room, you dress her wounds, you teach her swordsmanship . . ."

"But I did NOT wound her just so I could dress her wound! And I admit that I favor her . . . because she's here for her job, not her boss!" I heard a THUD and plates jiggling; Link must've pounded his fist on the table.

"Hmph!" Angelina said. "I do the work! I just finished grooming the horses! Every single one! You can't say I'm not here for the job!"

I heard Link growl, "I can! You try to impress me! You bat your eyelashes when I compliment you! You buy jewelry on your days off! You wear a dress into town in hopes of me seeing you!"

"You know what? You're a terrible boss!"

"You know what? YOU'RE FIRED!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I QUIT!"

I heard Angelina pant, then I ran off just as she opened the door and left the building.

* * *

Link didn't speak to me at all after that, until evening, when he muttered, "Good night." I went to bed wondering about Rheana, the other stable hand. I knew that Rheana and Angelina had been thick as thieves . . . until Angelina quit. After a heated discussion, Rheana had fled to her room to weep. I knew that Rheana was a nice girl at heart, but was often the subject of peer pressure. Angelina was the only one of the two who loved Link.

I fell asleep thinking about this, and dreamt that Angelina was a bull and Link was a fence, and Angelina rammed into Link.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of Ocarina music.

It was a sad tune, and it almost made me cry. After a moment, I realized that it was Link playing. I had looked over and there, on the foot of my bed, perched Link, swaying slowly, like a sapling in the breeze. The moon shone through the open window, illuminating Link as he rocked slowly from side to side. I slowly sat up, and propped myself up using my arms.

"Why're you up?" I asked casually.

Link played a flat note and turned in surprise. Then a look of relief crossed his face. "Oh, you're awake! I thought . . . ah . . . oh, never mind." He turned around so that his entire body was facing me and his legs were crossed, his Ocarina in his lap. "Yes, I'm awake, and I'm awake because . . . well . . . uh . . . I . . ." He looked at my face as if it were stopping him from saying something.

I felt uncomfortable. Just Link and me, in a room lit by moonlight, with Link about three feet away. I scooted backwards slightly. "Sir . . . I . . . ah . . ."

_WHSHOOM!_ There was a bright flash of orange light outside, and we heard evil laughter. I ran to the window and looked outside. There was a gigantic bonfire on the aboveground trade route. I saw the tall figure of a man beside it. He had thrown his head back and was laughing like a maniac.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Link said, "Ganondorf."

I shuddered and leaned against Link, who swayed gently. I fell asleep standing up.


	4. Chapter 3 - I Leave, Maybe Forever

When I awoke the next morning, I was in my bed. My legs were slightly sore. I looked over towards my door and saw Link, slumped over in his chair, breathing slowly and steadily. He was sleeping, and, what's more, he had fallen asleep watching over me. I was touched.

Link stirred and I lay back down and I closed my eyes and acted like I was sleeping.

Through my squinted eyes, I saw Link get up and strech. He took off his hat, ruffled his hair, and put his hat back on his head. He scratched his side and yawned. He looked at me just as I closed my eyes. I heard his footsteps fade away, and I opened my eyes. Link was gone.

I sat up, yawned, and got dressed in my work clothes. I went downstairs and had a breakfast of eggs and ham. Then I started my daily chores.

I mucked out the stalls, refilled the water troughs, and groomed the horses. Then I fed the cucoos and collected the cucoo eggs. I checked the medical condition of Epona, Link's horse, who was pregnant. After Epona got a metaphorical seal of medical approval, I tended to a lame horse, who had gotten wounded slightly when he had jumped over a fence. After that, I had a lunch of cucoo meat. Then I spent the rest of the day riding the more energetic horses.

That evening, Link said "Good night," and I went off to bed.

When I woke up, it was still dark. At first, I wondered why I had awoken, but then I heard yelling.

"I can't leave the stables! Epona is about to give birth! She means more to me than anything!" That was Link.

"But you must! If you don't . . . heck, who knows what will happen! Plus, Rheana knows how to birth a horse! Epona'll be fine!" I didn't recognize this voice, but it was male. "Link . . ."

I heard an exasperated sigh. "All right, all right . . . I'll go."

I heard chairs scooting, footsteps, and the door opening and closing.

* * *

The next morning, Link was still in the house, even though, normally, he was out tending to the animals before we woke up. Rheana was in the house too. Link looked very serious.

"You're up," Link said.

I grumbled. "Mmmrrrr . . ."

Link lowered his eyes and poked his fork into his eggs. "I'm leaving."

"You're WHAT?" Rheana and I said in unison.

Link nodded. "I have to join the war against Ganondorf." He said this last word with pure anger. "My . . . ah . . . military advisor insisted that I go. And I will. I have left a list of duties . . ."

"Take me with you!"

I covered my mouth. "Did I just say that? Did I really, truly just say that?"

Link raised an eyebrow.

I decided to play along with myself.

"I can fight! You've been training me; I'm getting better!"

Link shook his head. "Rebecca . . ."

Tears started forming in my eyes. "It's the adventure I've always wanted . . ."

"Rebecca, it's too dangerous for a woman, especially a miniature one, even one trained in the art of swordsmanship. I'm sorry, you can't go."

Link wiped his face, and I noticed that he had cleaned his plate. "I'll be leaving now. Hold down the fort for me, will you?" He smiled. "Goodbye, Rheana. Goodbye, Rebecca. I'm . . . sorry." He got up, and his gaze lingered on me for a moment. Then he left.

* * *

That night, I made up my mind.

I was packed, set, and well-rested. I had provisions a plenty and a fast horse to boot. I was wearing my travel clothes; a blue tunic, leather padding (because chain mail was expensive) and a white undershirt. I was wearing white pants and leather boots. My hair was tied back with a ribbon; and FIRESTORM was in its sheath on my back, along with my shield. I told Rheana of my plans. She said I was crazy, but I did it anyway.

I was leaving.

And I didn't know if I was coming back.


	5. 4 - My Sword Incinerates Some Skeletons

[AN: Possible trigger warning for sexual assault in this chapter. Just sayin'.]

I rode for three days until I found Link.

He was sitting by the river, drinking water and eating wheat cakes and dried beef. His horse, Jaks, was grazing lazily on the grass by the river.

I gently nudged my horse in the sides with my feet, and she walked on. I bent low over the horse's back (her name was Marcia, by the way). Suddenly, Marcia stepped on a twig, cracking it. I saw Link sit straight up before I dove from Marcia's back and slapped her flank. She whinnied and pranced forward. Link turned and saw Marcia.

"Oh, Marcia! My dear, sweet Marcia! I didn't know you loved me this much! Following me out here. You devil!"

I crept out from behind the tree as I listened, but I stepped on a different twig. Link stood up and said, "Who goes there?"

I cringed. Link had his sword drawn and was getting nearer and nearer . . .

"AHA!"

I screamed. Link had poked his head out from in front of the tree I was hiding behind. His sword was behind his head in mid swing when he realized who I was.

"R . . . Rebecca?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes, don't kill me, I beg you! I only wanted to travel, to see Hyrule, to know the world! I just . . . Oh!" I held my head in my hands and cried.

Link dropped his sword. "Rebecca . . . I . . . well, it's too late now, you can't go back." He gave an exasperated sigh and combed his hand through his hair. "Why on earth . . ."

I gulped. "Ganondorf killed my parents."

Link's eyes widened. "He . . . he killed them?"

I nodded. "Killed them, but my father, with his dying breath, put me in an orphanage. I was never adopted. Too defiant, too independant." I sighed. I just wish . . . I could see my father again."

Link stepped forward and hugged me. I leaned my head against him and cried. He swayed gently as he had done on the night Ganondorf had set a bonfire on the above-ground trade route.

"Oh, how sweet! And how stereotypical. The hero gets the girl!"

I opened my eyes and backed away from Link, drawing my sword. I had just heard a deep, evil-sounding voice. Link seemed oblivious.

I heard the same maniacal laughter of Ganondorf and then, "Don't worry, my dear . . . you may yet see your father again!" The laughter came again, except this time it got deeper and deeper, shaking the ground. Then the ground split between Link and me. Link picked up his sword, yelling, "Stalfos!"

Moments later, a skeleton crawled out of the ground, armed with a sword and wooden shield. FIRESTORM flared to life in my hand and burned its sheild to a crisp as I slashed. The skeleton stared at its now bare arm and shrieked. I winced from the sound and slashed. The creature disintegrated into a pile of ashes.

I stood staring at the ashes, panting. Then the voice spoke again.

"Oh, so you do not want to be reunited with dear old daddy, hm?" Laughter. I realized that Ganondorf was speaking to me.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "Stop!"

"Stop what?" Link asked.

"Heh heh heh! Poor, poor Link. I suppose he can't hear me, eh?" Laughter, then "Come willingly if you want to see your father!" As he spoke, more Stalfos poured from the crack in the earth. Link struggled to kill them. I slashed at a few, killing them instantly.

"Hypocrite!" Ganondorf hissed. "I thought you loved your father!"

I slashed more Stalfos. "I'd never come with you, you . . . you pig!" I screamed. "Ever!"

Ganondorf yelled in frustration. "Get her! Kill the boy, but get the girl!"

I slashed and stabbed, getting more and more tired as more and more Stalfos came. But just as I thought that I would collapse, Ganondorf said, "Bah! It's no use! Get out of there!"

The Stalfos hesitated, then crawled back into the earth.

Link was breathing heavily. I looked down at my arm. It was bleeding. I let out an involuntary groan. I slowly pulled up my sleeve and saw a long gash. I whimpered.

"What is it?" asked Link as he stepped over the three-foot-wide ravine.

I showed him my wound. He bit his lip. "Ouch. That had to hurt. Here," he pulled out a bottle of red liquid, "It's my last one. You have it."

I took a swig, and the pain went away immediately. In fact, as I looked at my arm, it healed quickly. There was a scar, but it made me feel good. I smiled at Link. "Thank you!"

Link nodded. "You're welcome—ooh!" He winced, clutching his side. "Red potion. Works wonders. Let's bed down for the night, shall we?" Hunched over, he led me to a cave by the river. Once there, we rolled out our bedrolls and I assessed Link's condition.

He had a deep cut on his side and a broken rib. I offered him some of my Red Potion, but he refused. Said I should keep it to myself. Later, while he was making wheat cakes from some of the wheat outside, I heard him groan, then a dull THUMP. I looked over to see Link slumped over the rock on which he had been pounding wheat. I shook my head slowly. "Tsk, tsk. You waited, you paid the price.

I picked up Link from underneath his shoulders and hoisted him to the middle of the cave. I figured he needed medical attention, and fast. I pulled off his hat and thought, _He looks better with his hat off._ I realized what I was thinking and shuddered. I rolled my shoulders and slipped off his tunic, which I set aside to clean later. I took off his chain mail, which I knew would rust if I cleaned it, so I just threw it onto the grass outside to dry-clean it. Then I saw Link's bloodstained white shirt. I undid the ties that held the shirt together, and as they fell apart, I saw the humongous black bruise that fully indicated a broken rib. I shuddered and got my Red Potion from my pack, which I poured down Link's throat. The bruise slowly turned purple, then blue, and disappeared. I smiled. Then I realized that his wound wasn't healed. I flexed my fingers and pulled off his shirt, which I threw onto his tunic. I tried to ignore his muscular bare chest as I wiped his wound with his hat. (It was the only thing available! Cut me some slack here!) When the blood was gone, I dipped his hat in the river to get it wet. Then I came back and wiped his wound again.

Link twitched, and I backed off. He groaned and shifted, but resumed sleeping. I bit my lip and further cleaned his gash untill the gash was clean. Then I ripped some cloth from my pants and carefully started wrapping his wound.

Link stirred again and opened his eyes. He looked in surprise at me and was about to say something when I said, "Shh, Shh. Stay put. Prop yourself up; I can't properly get this behind you."

Link looked down, and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth, then shut it, and propped himself up. I half hugged him as I tied the strip of white cloth behind him. He looked down at me as I pressed my cheek to his chest in an effort to tie the cloth. He raised an eyebrow. I followed suit.

After one last pull, the cloth was tied. I tried pulling away, but Link's arms were around me. I grunted and jerked, but Link only held me tighter. With one hand, Link pulled me so that our faces were parallel. I realized the . . . ahem . . . "Danger" of the situation and jerked backwards. Link tightened his grip on me. I closed my eyes and turned my head. I felt his breath on my ear. He whispered, "Thank you," and let me go.

I crawled backwards and tried to focus only on Link's face and not on his chest and arms. "Wh . . . what?"

Link crawled over to the grindstone and pounded the wheat some more. As he worked, he said, "I noticed the empty Red Potion bottle. You don't know how much that means to me.

"You see," he continued, "when you gave that last bit to me, that was an act of sacrifice. If you get wounded, you can't use that motion. Therefore, you could die." He stopped grinding and got up, one of his hands holding the grindstone with the wheat. I averted my attention to Ganondorf's words and thought about the fact that my father was, in fact, alive. I looked at the smoldering remains of the fire we had started a few hours ago. I stood up, and as I did so, I saw Link by the river, taking some water out of said long, skinny body of water and dribbling it into the grindstone. I walked out of the cave and found a large, flat rock. I set the rock on top of the coals and helped Link pour some of the wheat cake batter onto the rock. I got some dry beef from my provisions and snapped it up and sprinkled it into the batter on the rock. Link then poured the rest of the batter and we waited for the cake to cook. As we waited, I told Link what Ganondorf had said to me, about my father. Link admitted, rather reluctantly, that he had heard Ganondorf talking to him, too, but he wouldn't tell me exactly what Ganondorf had said. All I knew was that Ganondorf had told him about my father.

Soon, the wheat cake was cooked, and we ate it. Afterwards, it was dark, so Link showed me all of the different Hylean constellations.

"Over there is Ordona, one of the Light Spirits. That's the Great Fairy, and her seven maidservants. Oh, that? That's the River in the Sky. You see, if you squint, you can see a whole lot more stars . . . yeah, you see it? Yeah." He laughed. "Hmm. The moon sure is pretty tonight, huh?" He looked over at me. We were lying on the ground by the river.

I had to agree. The moon was waxing. It cast a blue glow on the world. The sky was clear, meaning the stars shone all the brigter.

"Of course," Link began, almost tentatively, "It's not as beautiful as you."

My eyes widened. I cleared my throat. "I'm . . . flattered?" I said hesitantly.

I heard Link sigh contentedly. The river flowed gently by, its soothing sound lulling me to sleep. I dreamt I was lying in flowers, free of pain and worry.


	6. 5 - Little Happens, Except for One Thing

[AN: I had no idea what a lot of the monsters in The Legend of Zelda were called, hence the terms "orc", "goblin", "vulture dragon", and "boarcharger" (wut). The names I did know, I knew from playing Ocarina of Time. Also, the scene where Link explains the purple chus was almost bad enough for me to not post this chapter.]

I woke slowly. It was barely light. The sky was pink with the light of the slowly emerging sun. I saw the morning star, still twinkling in the west. I smiled. I was so, warm, so drowsy, so comfortable . . .

Wait.

There was something on me.

I snapped awake and looked over, to see Link's arm. I tentatively poked at it, and heard Link groan. The arm shifted.

I gulped and rolled over. I was still outside. I looked over at Link, lying on the ground, still half naked. His eyes flickered blindly under his eyelids. He grunted and murmured, "No . . . n . . . no . . . you . . . can't . . . no . . . stoppit! Unh . . ." His eyes fluttered open. "Hmm . . . mm?" He stretched and yawned. "Mornin'."

I got up and brushed myself off. "Mornin'," I said, sort of bluntly. "If you could call it 'Mornin''."

Link scratched his side, the side with the wound. "Yeah . . . hrrmmmmhh . . ."

I gestured to the bloody patch on the makeshift bandage. "How's it feel?"

Link grimaced. "It's . . . better."

I walked up to him, saying, "I need to wash that. It's too bloody; it could get infected." I held out my hand.

Link leaned backwards and began untying the long strip of cloth, which he gave to me. As he did so, our hands brushed. I pulled back in surprise, holding the cloth. Link flexed his fingers on his partially outstretched hand, and pulled back as well. He murmured something about breakfast and hurriedly walked into the cave. I turned to watch him enter the cave and almost called out to him. But I thought better of it and walked to the river to wash the bandage.

* * *

We spent breakfast in silence. The first time Link would speak to me since that morning would be breakfast, when he said, "We should get going. If we stay too long, Ganondorf could get away." As he said "Ganondorf", he looked at me with a strange look.

I bit my lip. "Alright. What such dangers will we face ahead?"

Link paused in his chore of packing. "Well . . . orcs, goblins, Lizalfos, vulture dragons, boarchargers, and the occasional stallwolf, not to mention deku babas, keese, crows, and—though rare—maybe . . ." He stopped and shuddered. He turned to me and beckoned me closer. I tentatively stepped forward. Link leaned inward, and I followed suit. "Re-dead. Terrible things. As they say, 'When they scream, all is lost.' They freeze you up, then strike hard. I still have a scar from that. Eurgh." He shuddered again. "Imagine; the last thing you know in this god-blessed land is the shriek of a horrible mummified warrior and empty eye sockets staring back at you." He licked his lips. "Oh! And chus."

I cocked my head. "Chus?"

Link nodded. "Jelly-like creatures. Many colors. Each color jelly has a different effect. Purple—oh, don't bother with purple. They either make you a little healthier or weaken you, depending on whims. Their jelly is thick, so when the Chu dies, the jelly soaks into the ground slowly . . . very slowly . . ." He slowly ran his hand up my arm. "Yes . . . slooowwwlyy . . ." I closed my eyes for a moment, almost enjoying the ticklish sensation of Link's fingers running up my forearm . . . past my elbow . . . up my shoulder . . . to my neck . . . (Oh, keep in mind he had no shirt on. Ugh.)

I opened my eyes. My cheek was now in his hand. Link was looking at me tenderly, like a father to a child, or . . .

I grunted and pulled back. "What else?"

Link cleared his throat. "Red. Ah. Yes. Red. Their jelly acts much like a Red Potion. Blue acts like a Red Potion as well, but it does its job much better. Yellow burns easily, so you could use it in a lamp or as a fire starter. Then there's gold. Very potent. It heals you fully—physically and, it's said, mentally. It quickens thought and reaction time. But, the jelly is very runny, so it soaks quickly." Link clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Well, your brief lesson on monsters is over. I hope you learned a thing or two."

* * *

By afternoon, we were out in the open, in Hyrule Field. Link talked to about firsthand experiences with hordes of goblins, clans of orcs, packs of Stallwolves, duos and even trios of Re-deads, and gigantic Purple Chus over 20 feet long.

". . . So I just slashed and stabbed at the huge purple mass, but it only divided into smaller ones—first 10 feet, then 5, then about three feet, then finally one foot long—by then there were 16 chus—but just as they were about to jump on me, I swung around my sword like this and WHAM! All 16—blllrrbllllzzzz . . . down into the ground. Bleh. That's when I thought, 'What does it taste like?' Drank 12 bottles before realizing it made me weaker sometimes, so I stopped. Not too tasty, but Über-addictive. Like mead. Or rum."

I giggled at Link's story. "So, if that was your #2 most favorite moment, what was #1?"

Link suddenly went quiet. "Well . . ."

"Come on!" I pleaded. "Just tell me! I can keep a secret!"

Link stopped the horse he was riding. I stopped the one I was riding, too. "You'd kill me . . ." He looked over at me apologetically.

I shifted my horse sideways. "Whisper it into my ear."

Link looked at me, blinked, and hesitantly leaned towards me. I turned my head so that he could whisper into my ear.

At first, Link said nothing. Then I felt warm pressure on my cheek. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

Link whispered, "That was it."

* * *

After Link's kiss, we sort of stopped talking. Link made an occasional comment about the weather, which told me he wanted to say something, but he didn't want to say it. I know. Because I commented about the foliage.

Our conversation:

Me: Nice trees here.

Link: Mm-hm.

Silence.

Link: Judging by the clouds, we might get rain.

Me: Yeah.

Link: Good for the crops.

Me: Mmm.

Silence.

Me: The grass looks healthier here than where we stayed last night.

Link: Well, the grass is always greener on the other side of the river!

Me: Tee hee!

Silence.

So, it went on like that for a while; Us riding in silence, then commenting on the weather or the foliage, and occasionally fending off the odd orc or deku baba. But, at one point, we saw a large, moving speck in the distance.

Link grimaced. "Why him?"

I looked to Link with scared eyes. "Who?"

Link pointed at the mass in the distance, now getting closer. "The Orc King. And he has backup."

[AN: The chapter names ware exactly as they were in the original Flower-Covered Journal. Next chapter is called "I Almost Die, But Don't Somehow". I kid you not. Hoooooly cow.]


	7. 6 - I Almost Die, But Don't Somehow

Link's face was serious. It was the kind of face that, if you looked at it, you would NOT be tempted to tickle the wearer of that face. You might be tempted to laugh, but otherwise, he was so serious, it sort of spread.

I bit my lip. "The Orc King?"

Link sighed. "Yeah, he's only the king of all orcs! He's ruthless, ugly, and strong to boot. Plus, he works for Ganondorf, who, as you know, is trying to kidnap you!"

I turned my horse around. "So we leave."

Link shook his head. "We fight. There is no other way to the current position of the Hylean Army. We fight. But you need to get onto my horse."

I shook my head. "No. I'll ride alone. You will be able to fight better with only one person on your horse."

Link heaved an exasperated sigh. "We don't have time for this! I'm more experienced in the art of war; you will do as I say!" He spoke angrily and impatiently.

I gulped. "Yes, sir."

I got off of Marcia and got onto Link's horse. Link slipped on his undershirt, chain mail and tunic; and finally his hat. All while on horseback. (I put that on my list of strange ways I admire Link.)

Link slapped his horse and we charged toward the ranks. "Alright, you fend off arrows with your sheild and sword and kill any orcs that come close; I'll go for their King. Get it, got it, good." He looked back at me, and I saw the desperation in his eyes. He looked back to the oncoming army of orcs. "INCOMING!" he yelled.

Alongside us, I saw two huge, boar-like creatures slow down enough to ride next to us, on which were two orcs each. One steered and one fired arrows at us, which I deflected easily. More boar-riding orcs came up behind us. I shifted in the saddle to kill an orc that had tried to grab at Link to pull him off. I succeeded, but I couldn't see what was going on behind me.

Time moved in slow motion as I turned around and saw a massive, ugly, fat orc on a huge blue-grey boar swing a large, heavy hammer at Link. Link pulled up on the reins at the last second, and the hammer missed his head by inches.

But who caught the blow?

Me.

My ears rang as a horrible headache racked my brain. I couldn't cry out. Black spots riddled my eyesight and I started seeing double. Just before I blacked out, I felt a huge hand lift me up . . .

* * *

I felt myself drifting through time and space, until I saw a plain, a ravine, and a stone bridge over said ravine. I saw dark blotches moving across the plain and realized that I was looking at the scene I had just left. I saw that the Orc king was holding me in his hand. I shivered. Just seeing myself limp made me want to retch.

I saw Link slash at the smaller orcs as the Orc King laughed a deep, guttural laugh.

"I see fear in you." The Orc King's voice was deep and throaty. "She is not dead. The great Ganondorf, whom I serve, bestowed on me this blessed hammer . . . it will not kill the girl, but it can kill you!" At this, the Orc King raced off to the bridge, yelling, "If you want her, come and claim her!"

Link killed the last of the smaller orcs and raced after the Orc King, who laughed his terrible laugh. "Yes . . . Die for your beloved!"

Link's voice was first a growl, then a scream of anguish. He rode across the bridge. Suddenly, I noticed an orc with a flaming arrow. I opened my mouth but no sound came.

"Link!" I mouthed.

The orc fired the arrow, but not at Link. Instead, the arrow hit the ground at the point where the bridge started, and I noticed black powder on the ground there. The arrow lit the powder, causing a wall of flame. The same process was repeated on the other end of the bridge.

I saw Link look angrily at the Orc King. "You taunt me, you lure me to my doom, you escape death! I have fought you before, but this will be the last time!"

The Orc King charged and Link charged. Link took out his bow and fired an arrow at the Orc King's head. The great, gluttinous monarch roared as the arrow hit his eye. He swerved around Link, who rode all the way to the wall of fire. His horse reared and turned, and charged again. This time, the Orc King had put away his hammer for a long spear. Link brandished his sword and let out a long war cry. The two riders got closer and closer, until Link swerved and slashed the Orc King along his side. The Orc King growled and jabbed the butt of his spear into Link's back. Link screamed.

"No!" I mouthed. I managed a tiny squeak, and I saw myself twitch. Then I got an idea.

I tried to scream as loud as I could, and my vision flickered. I saw Link fire an arrow at his opponent. The arrow found its mark in the back of his head. I saw him throw me onto the ground before his steed leapt into the gorge, free of rein for one last time.

My vision flickered one last time, then . . . darkness.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in Link's arms. He was weeping.

I shifted and moaned. How my heard hurt . . .

Link said between sobs, "Oh, you're alive . . . I'm so sorry . . ." He set me down on the ground and sat down next to me. He stopped crying, but tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.

I managed, "My head . . ."

Link got up and ran around, occasionally bending down to examine and sometimes pick flowers. When he had a huge bunch of blue flowers, he ran back to me and sat down. He picked a petal from one of the flowers with one hand and opened my mouth with the other. He placed the petal in my mouth and closed it. The petal dissolved slowly, leaving a sweet powder, which I swallowed. Almost immediately, my strength came back a little. I opened my mouth again, and Link inserted another petal.

And so the process continued for about half an hour: Link would feed me a petal, wait until I opened my mouth, and repeat; until I sat up. Link was crying again.

"I'm so sorry . . ." he choked. "I should have listened to you . . . If I had, you wouldn't have gotten injured . . . I . . . oh . . ."

I shook my head. "Everything worked out in the end, right? I'm not dead, Ganondorf didn't get me, and the Orc King is gone for good! Don't worry!"

Link looked at me sadly. "I just feel like screaming . . . but if actions speak louder than words . . ." He leaned forward, and I did too, a little.

When our lips met, what remained of my pain melted away. I closed my eyes and savored the moment. I felt Link's muscular arms wrap around me in a loving embrace. I relaxed. Nothing would ever harm us, ever again.

Or so I thought.


	8. 7 - My Hand Gets a Holy Touch

The next morning was uneventful; in fact, nothing interesting happened until the day afterwards. That morning was when it happened.

I was sleeping on my bedroll, on the ground. I woke up to see that Link was again half naked, and he was washing the strip of cloth that I had torn from my pants. His wound was almost healed.

I stretched and groaned. Link turned suddenly, but relaxed when he saw that I wasn't hurt. "Oh. You're awake. I thought . . . er . . . oh, never mind." He laughed. I hadn't heard him laugh in a while. I guess it was because he was nervous that we were getting closer to Ganondorf's Castle, which was where the Hylean Army was.

Thinking of this triggered another thought.

"You know why Ganondorf is after me, don't you, Link?"

Link paused in washing, then said, rather reluctantly, "Yes."

I rolled my eyes. "Well then, will you tell me? Ever?"

Link looked back at me. "I can't tell you . . ."

I realized something. "It has to do with my father, doesn't it?"

Link shifted, apparently uncomfortable. "It has to do with your father . . . and the day you turn 17. Oh! Before I forget . . ." Link walked to his pack and rummaged around in it. "Your birthday is in three days. Er . . . Ganondorf told me . . . while we were fighting the Stalfos. I figured, if I don't live to see your birthday, I'll give you your present now." He pulled out a golden chain—no, wait, a necklace. On the chain there was a golden coin, on which was engraved a Triforce with Nayru's triangle filled in with Sapphire. That was on one side. On the other, there were the words, "May Nayru bless you with utmost wisdom throughout your years." The coin looked like this:

[AN: Below this paragraph in the Flower-Covered Journal are two pictures, showing the front and back of the coin. It's pretty much exactly how it's described.]

Link handed this piece of jewelry to me. "Happy almost birthday, Rebecca. It's a Wisdom Medallion. You'll need it later." Link looked at me sheepishly.

I smiled and fingered the coin. "It's beautiful. Thanks." I looked up at Link, who sat down next to me. "You're welcome. He leaned over and quickly pecked me on the cheek. I blushed.

"Incoming, incoming, incoming, incoming, incoming!" A squaky voice came.

Link got up, and a strange parrot flew down to the ground in front of us. "Message from the Hylean General! SQUAAAK!"

I gasped. "It talks!"

The parrot seemed taken aback by my statement. "What? Never seen a talking parrot before?"

I shook my head. "Well . . . no."

Link said, "What's the message?"

The parrot said impassively, "Earlier this morning, Ganondorf kidnapped Princess Zelda. A few minutes ago, she was found, so charged with electricity that they couldn't lift her. The Princess . . . is dead!" The parrot flapped its wings and hovered in front of us, saying, "That is all. RAAWWK!" before taking off.

* * *

Link stared after the strange parrot as it disappeared into the distance. He looked as if desperately trying to look incredulous.

"I can't believe it . . ." he said, though something in his voice told me he could. "The Princess of Hyrule . . . dead?"

I looked at Link. "You knew that this was going to happen, didn't you? This has something to do with Ganondorf trying to capture me, doesn't it?"

Link paused, then said defensively, "No!"

I put my hands on my hips. "There's something in your voice that—AHHHHH!" I clutched my left hand and doubled over. "Yikes! Ahh! What the—uh!" I tentatively peeked at the skin on the back of my left hand. It was covered in boils and strangely angled scars. The skin felt like it was crawling. In fact, as I watched, the scars rearranged themselves and the boils popped and sizzled. My hand began to glow.

I watched in horror as my hand shook involuntarily. I was thrown to the ground by some outside force. I grunted and groaned as my hand shone brighter and brighter until I was forced to close my eyes. I saw a white light through my eyelids, then darkness.

I opened my eyes and looked at my hand. There was a gleaming, golden Triforce. As I looked, the Triforce dimmed. The last part to dim was the lower left triangle—Nayru's triangle.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Link, whose face was grim. "This is why Ganondorf is trying to capture you. Rebecca . . . you are the heir to the Triforce of Wisdom."


	9. 8 - I Meet a New Species of Cocky

I stared incredulously at Link. "What? Why me?"

Link sighed. "You . . . Your . . . I . . . ah . . . eb . . . er . . . I can't tell you."

I groaned and rolled my head backwards. I slumped down onto the ground. "Of course you can't. You never can."

Link sat down next to me and placed his hand gingerly on my waist. "Rebecca . . ."

I suddenly jumped up and stormed into the forest nearby. I payed no heed to how far I had gone before I sat down on a rock in the middle of a clearing. I let out all the tears I had held back and allowed them to run freely down my face.

"Rebecca."

I stopped weeping and looked up. I saw a pair of eyes with yellow irises gleaming back at me. I gasped and reached for my sword, but it wasn't there. I heard a chuckle coming from the direction of the eyes.

"Silly girl. You thought not of bringing your sword, hm?" The mystery person spoke with the same lingo as Ganondorf, but his voice was . . . lighter, somewhat. And cockier.

"Of course," said the mystery person, stepping out of the shadows, "I wouldn't think of it, either, if I were running off in a blind rage."

I gasped. This person must've been no older than twenty, but he spoke with all of the authority of a king. His hair was red as fire, his eyes as yellow as oil, and his skin as black as coal. His lips were pressed into a thin, cocky smile, which opened to reveal white teeth and sharp canines.

My heart just about stopped as I asked, "Who are you?"

The young man chuckled. "I am Armondorf, adopted son of the almighty Ganondorf."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Adopted?"

Armondorf nodded. "My father was a weak Hylean. My mother wooed him, married him, and had me. When she saw that I was male, she killed my father, so as to direct all attention to me. Ganondorf saw great power in me, so he killed my Gerudo mother and adopted me. I am now more powerful than I would have been under my mother!" He laughed maniacly. I winced at how much he and Ganondorf sounded alike.

Ganondorf sent me to capture you . . . but he only specified to capture you before your 17th Birthday, when your power will be at its utmost. In your . . . prone [he dragged the word out for a full three seconds] state [he dragged this word out for 2", then paused for 5"] I can do whatever I please, hm?" He raised his eyebrows and walked over to me. His strides were long and confident; and slow. He rested his hand on my shoulder and walked around behind me, where he stood with his right hand on my right shoulder and his left o my left. "And you will do exactly as I tell you to, or pain will ensue." I groaned involuntarily as his hands clenched and a jolt of electricity jarred me. Armondorf leaned over and whispered into my ear, "Lots more pain."

"Rebecca! What . . . who . . . let her go!"

I turned to see Link, sword drawn, at the entrance to the clearing. "Link!" I breathed.

Link growled, "Who do you think you are?"

Armondorf shrugged. "Armondorf, the adopted son of Ganondorf!" He examined Link's face, and a look of recognition crossed his face. "Ah. How interesting that an heir, a new holder, and an experienced holder would congregate here. Oh, if my father were here . . . of course, if he were here, I wouldn't be here."

I looked at Link, who was self-consciously rubbing his left hand. He looked sheepishly at me.

"It's true. I am the holder of the Triforce of Courage."

Armondorf spread his hands out wide. "Hey, technically, all portions of the Triforce are here together. But, frankly, we don't need the holder of one section."

"Well," said Link, "that's not very nice. I mean, Rebecca's plenty useful."

Armondorf walked out from behind me and turned to earlier said star-of-the-show strumpet. "I present to you a choice. You can die fighting me, or you can come willingly. Either way, it's your choice."

I defiantly proclaimed, "To die fighting is the nobler."

Armondorf unsheathed his sword, a huge blade, even in the Gerudo princeling's hands. It had a pale white blade and black hilt. "Well, I hope it's the dying part that's noble, because he's about to get a heck of a lot of honor." He flicked his blade to Link's neck and slowly applied pressure. I gasped and took a step forward.

Armondorf stopped and turned to me slowly. His eyebrows were raised. His mouth was open, and the corners were upturned slightly. "So, under what condition will you come with me now?"

I gulped. "If Link is not harmed, and the portions of the Triforce are kept seperate until I say they can be together."

Armondorf sheathed his sword and took two steps towards me. "Let us go, then, shall we?" He placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on Link's arm. Then he closed his eyes and clenched his hands. In a moment, the scenery changed and we were outside a huge castle.

"Welcome," Armondorf said, "To my adopted father's palace." He unsheathed his sword and took a previously unnoticed spear from his back, pointed the tips to our backs, and marched us toward the black castle.


	10. 9 - I Fall to my Doom

[AN: 1—Trigger warning for suicide and creepyweird rapeiness in this chapter. 2—I used a friend's name for a character in this chapter, and I think she'd want me to change it, so I have.]

I spent the day after that getting acquainted with the lifestyle in Ganondorf's castle. I was given good food, I was kept in an apartment-like area, (an entry room, a bedroom, and a dining area, not to mention a lavatory), and was altogether treated well. (Er, actually, I didn't know what the food tasted like . . . I was afraid it was spiked. But it looked good. And smelled good. Yeah.)

At one point, I was introduced to each of my Gerudo maidservants. One stuck out to me, so I invited her to come and talk to me. When she finally came in, she seemed irked.

"Do I have to tell you again? My name is Katrina, and the name that 'The Great Ganondorf' gave me is Rose, because I have beauty and thorns!" Katrina crossed her arms impatiently. "To tell you the truth, I don't really like him. No offense," she quickly added.

"None taken . . . ?" I was confused. "Why would I be offended?"

Katrina bit her lip. "Because he's . . . I mean, you're . . . er . . . never mind." She sighed. "I hate all men, except for—well, he's not a man, per se, just—woah!"

A brown streak shot out at Katrina, throwing her backwards. I saw a little monkey hugging her gently.

"Danny! Why, you little rascal! Oh! Excuse me! This is Danny, my pet monkey. Danny, this is my lady, Rebecca."

The monkey scampered up to me and said, "Eh oh!" before climbing up my leg and torso to my shoulder. I giggled as he started picking tiny flakes of skin from my scalp.

Katrina laughed. "He likes you! He never does that to anyone but me!"

Danny hugged my head, and, chattering, left through the window, which he must've unlocked.

I looked out the window at the 80° angle cliff below us. For a split second, I thought about jumping, but then I thought of all the things I had to live for . . . like good (UNSPIKED) food, beautiful sunsets . . . and Link. (Another thought was kicking Armondorf in the shins, but that's not really a thing to live for.)

I pulled away from the window and said to Katrina, "You are dismissed." She nodded and left.

* * *

When evening came, I looked sadly at the food in the dining area, thinking about how wonderful it must've tasted. But I simply got undressed and "re-dressed" in my nightgown. I planned to hit the hay early, in order to sleep well.

I was just tying the strings on my nightgown when I heard knocking on the door. I looked over and gasped as I saw that the door was open and Armondorf was leaning on the doorframe.

"How long have you been there?" I asked, my face red with emberrassment and fury.

Armondorf stood up all the way and took a step towards me. "Long enough."

I began breathing heavily as adrenaline kicked in. "Why are you here?"

Armondorf took another step, and I stepped backwards. "I'm here because . . . well, because of you. I think you know what I want."

I did know; in the look in his eyes, the sly look on his face, and the way he walked towards me. He wanted me.

I said, through gritted teeth, "I'll scream, and Rose will see that you are threatening me, and she will kill you."

Armondorf grinned a lopsided grin. "But actions speak louder than words, love . . . Why not kiss me, and scream louder than any?" He took two steps toward me, and I responded by grabbing a nearby chair and putting it between us. I turned and ran into my room, closed the door, and looked for the lock, but there was none.

_Buttons! They thought of everything!_ I thought, and pressed all of my might against the door and waited.

Nothing.

_Is he gone?_

But just as I thought that, the door just . . . vanished. I crashed into Armondorf, who grinned at me. "Hello, darling."

I turned and ran to the still open window and climbed onto the sill. I looked back at the smirking face of my pursuer.

"I swear, I'll jump."

Armondorf laughed. "You bluff."

But to prove my point, I threw myself down into the abyss below. The wind blew my hair back, and a strange sense of peace overcame me.

As I fell, I thought first of what Armondorf would look like when Ganondorf was through with him. Then I thought of what to live for—physically harming Armondorf, and maybe Ganondorf. I realized that I truly had something to live for.

I began helplessly scrabbling at the air, as if I could stop my fall with a fistful of air. Then I realized my hopelessness and stopped struggling. I saw a flash of light, then . . . darkness.


	11. 10 - I (Finally) Meet My Father

I felt . . . fuzzy.

I felt like my limbs weren't there, like I was . . . dead.

But then I felt pain.

Pain? How could I feel pain if I was dead?

Unless I was alive . . . but that, too, was impossible!

I felt like something was on top of me . . . I vaguely heard a voice say, "Wake up! Are you okay? WAKE UP!"

I murmured, "I'm spree as a birrrrd . . . and live as a . . . deadbolt . . . filled with . . . uhhh . . . cookies . . . yeah . . ."

"Cookies? Yeah, cookies is ice . . ." (or at least, that's what I heard.)

"Cookies is ice? Y'got bad grammar, bunbee . . . oh, my head . . ."

"Bumbdee, eh? I think you're mean, dummy!" (or maybe he said, "I think you mean dummy.")

"My head . . ." I moaned. "It . . . oh . . . Huh?"

Suddenly, I was aware of moaning and shuffling. I felt enormous pressure on my legs, chest, and arms. The pressure was certainly from someone on top of me, and I realized that I recognized the voice.

"Link!" I tried to get up.

"Sh, sh!" Link covered my mouth with his hand. "Stay down. Re-dead. Their eyesight is based on movement, and they can hear normal speech well, but not whispers. Just . . . Oh, Rebecca, you're okay!" He kissed me on the lips, and I suddenly felt awkward. Link barraged me with more kisses until I asked him to stop. But, apparently, he knew that I wasn't really annoyed (I guess my laughing gave that away) and gave me one last long kiss. In spite of myself, I giggled.

"What was that for?" I asked, laughing.

Link moved his head just enough for me to see the almost-full moon. He smiled. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look in the moonlight? How your eyes sparkle like the stars that surround the moon? How the blue glow of the waxing gibbous flatters you perfectly?"

I shook my head. I was happy that I was being complimented like this.

"Well, you do, they do, and it does." Link laughed quietly. "Well, enough talk. Look over there . . . slowly."

I turned my head sideways. Luckily, Link's hand muffled my shriek considerably. I saw two mummified feet dragging along the ground, followed by a huge, ancient blade. I looked up and just about fainted. The rest of the Re-dead was just as gruesome as its feet—rotting bandages, bones sticking out, and the head—merely a wrapped-up skull. I shuddered and almost retched.

Link used the hand that covered my mouth to turn my head towards him. "And there are ten."

I gasped. "Ten?"

Link nodded and smiled a lopsided smile. "Guess you didn't know about Re-dead and anti-death spells when you decided to jump from that window, huh?"

I opened my mouth to say, "I didn't want to die!" but figured that would sound stupid.

Link leaned forward to put his mouth to my ear. "Don't move," he whispered, and rolled sideways, slowly. I gasped for air. Link was now lying parallel to me. He reached back and slowly pulled out two swords. He handed one to me, and it flamed in my hands. I smiled. I had FIRESTORM once more.

Link held out his hand and put it over my chest. "Stay still . . . Wait for it . . . wait for it . . ." As he spoke, the Re-dead came closer and closer . . . until Link yelled, "NOW!" and leapt up.

I jumped up and felt compelled to yell, "FIRESTORM!" so I did. Suddenly, a pillar of fire engulfed three of the Re-dead. I suddenly felt exhausted. I heard an unearthly scream, and my muscles seized up. I couldn't move. I saw a Re-dead try to lift its sword. I desperately tried to move. The Re-dead succeeded in lifting its sword. The momentum carried the huge blade forward . . . closer and closer . . .

CLANG!

Link had leapt in front of the sword, blocking it with his sword. I found I was able to move again. I held up FIRESTORM and yelled its name. Four Re-dead erupted in flames and incinerated, including the one that Link was fighting. There were three left.

I moved quickly, slashing and stabbing at a Re-dead until it collapsed and died. (If it was alive before, then had died, then become a Re-dead . . . then it was a re-dead Re-dead . . . or a Re-re-dead . . .) Link stabbed one once, killing it instantly. One left.

I stabbed it, and Link stabbed it, both at the same time. The creature shrieked and slumped to the ground.

I was panting. I hadn't expected this. I looked over at Link, who was, too, breathing heavily. He looked at me, and smiled. "Heh. We . . . we won!"

I looked at my sword. "How did you escape, Link?"

Link looked at me apologetically. "I slipped out past the guards. I wanted to go back and get you, but Ganondorf almost caught me as it was. Oh, I'm so sorry . . ." His eyes rolled back into his head and he completely passed out. I sniffed the air and smelled a strange smell, then passed out as well.

* * *

When I woke up, I was back in Ganondorf's castle. I was in a high-security dungeon cell. Torches flickered on the walls and a plate of bread and water was on a table. As for the furniture, there was only a cot and a chamber pot.

I tried to move and realized that I was chained to a stake in the stone floor. The chain was on a shackle on my leg.

I looked at the door—a heavy wooden door with a window about 6" x 12"—and stood up. Luckily, the chain reached to the door. I looked through the window to see a sleeping figure in a chair. Upon closer inspection (er, squinting) I saw that it was . . . Link!

"Link!" I breathed.

Link woke up and looked at me. Then my heart sank. It wasn't Link. It looked like him, though . . . with grey skin, black clothes, and red eyes.

The dark mirror of Link looked from me to the cell to my left. I looked at the wall to my left and saw a window in the wall, which I walked over to and looked through. I saw the REAL Link on the floor. He was in bad shape—his clothes were bloodied and torn, and his bare feet had terribly mangled bottoms. I winced at this sight, but nonetheless called, "Link!"

Link stirred, then looked up at me. He immediately sprang up and hobbled over to me. "Rebecca!"

I put my hands on the wall below the window. "What did they do to you?"

"They forced me down onto hot coals and whipped me. They wanted me to tell them what I knew about what exactly you will be able to accomplish. I knew that if I told them, they could harness your power. I didn't tell them anything . . . until Armondorf threatened to kill you. He almost did, too. You were still asleep from that sleeping gas, and Armondorf had his sword to your neck. I . . . I told them everything after that. I'm sorry."

I put my chin on the sill. "We have to get out of here."

Link put his chin on the sill as well. "I'll do everything in my power to get us out of here." He kissed me and left the window.

I inspected the wall around the window. The stone bricks were held together with mortar; the ultra-standard kind. I felt some cracks in one of the bricks, and, surprisingly, the brick moved. Excited, I pushed the brick in all the way. Glowing lines extended through the mortar. I looked at the bricks, smiling. The bricks shifted, rearranging themselves until an archway revealed itself. The passage was ten feet tall, four feet wide, and went all the way into Link's cell.

I saw Link's head poke around the corner. He was grinning. "How did . . . I mean, what . . . er . . . uh . . . oh, never mind!" Link walked through the passage and embraced me. I laughed, and he did, too. I tried to walk further to go through the archway, but the shackle on my leg prevented that. I sadly looked at the metal stake in the ground. "Stupid chain!" I pulled angrily.

Suddenly, the shackle on my leg burst into flames. In a few moments, the shackle disintegrated into a pile of ashes. I grinned. "Wow. I wonder what else I can do?"

Link sighed. "By the time of the blue moon—that is, in two days, you will be able to—"

"Wait . . . my birthday's during the blue moon?"

Link nodded. "Yeah . . . that's one reason Ganondorf wants you. No other holder of the Triforce of Wisdom has had their birthday fall on the Blue Moon. Also, it's said that Hyleans are twice as powerful during the Blue Moon. So, anyway, by the blue moon, you will be able to . . . well, that is, only here . . ."

I looked back at Link quizzically. "Why only here?"

Link seemed to realize that he almost gave something away. "There's . . . the . . . um . . . oh! The highest concentration of power here—there being the holder and the heir and all."

"Wait—how . . . the holder . . . ? Er . . . uh . . ." I shook my head. "So many unanswered questions . . ."

"And so little time. I'm surprised Dark Link—" At that moment, my cell door swung open, and there was Dark Link, red eyes flaring.

"Speak of the Devil," Link muttered.

We were trapped. No place to run, no place to hide. No weapon with which to fight.

Dark Link stepped forward and grabbed my arm in his cold grasp. He pulled out his sword and held it to my throat. He wordlessly took me through a series of doors, halls, and rooms. Most notably, he led me through a gigantic domed room with a Triforce in the middle of the floor and a six-foot-wide hole in the ceiling. After that, there was a door with no handle, which opened with a single touch from Dark Link's hand. Then there was . . . the room.

It was a porch, overlooking all of Hyrule. there was a stone rail, columns, and a stone stand, on which was my coin necklace. The porch was in the shape of a semicircle. The floor was stone tile. The whole place was beautiful, if an evil king's castle could, in any way, be beautiful.

But I could not focus on the grandeur of the room itself; because of the two other occupants of the room. One was Armondorf (groan) and the other was . . .

I recognized the stature, the shape, the silhouette. The seven-foot-tall stance, the fiery red hair, the long cape.

Armondorf's comment only confirmed my fears.

"Father, he brought her."

The other figure looked back at me, and I saw his eyes. I froze. He was looking at me with . . . respect? Mock reverence? Maybe . . . maybe even fear? But Ganondorf's emotions were understandably difficult to read.

Ganondorf's thin, cold lips curved into a smirk. "Well, bring her in! We can't have her standing there gawking all day, hm?" Hearing him in my head was scary, but matching those empty words to that face made me truly realize what the Hyleans feared about him.

Ganondorf held up his black-gloved hand and gestured to Dark Link to release me. (I guessed this because, after the dark king made the motion of clenching and unclenching his hand, Dark Link threw me to the ground, chuckling as he did so.) Ganondorf snapped his fingers, and my nightgown (yes, I was still wearing it) was replaced instantaneously with black armor. After that, Armondorf finally turned around. I saw that there were differences in facial features (Armondorf had a higher jawline, thinner brow, and an ever-so-slightly smaller chin—plus, Armondorf had a smaller beard) but the same Gerudo air hung thick around them.

I stood up indignantly and said, "What do you want you cursed son—er, and grandson—of a pig?"

Armondorf scowled, apparently ready to kill, but Ganondorf remained strangely calm. "You look much like your father. He was—and still is—a good man." He smiled so much his eerily white teeth showed. "By my standards."

I spat upon Ganondorf's boots. "Your words hold no comfort for me. Show him to me!"

Ganondorf turned around, revealing a magnificent, white blade at his side. The same strange runes as on FIRESTORM were carved into it. "You look like him, too . . . a little. You look more like your beautiful mother." Ganondorf took a long stride towards me and struck out his hand, catching my chin. He turned my head two ways, then let go. I growled.

"You have his same independent spirit as well," he went on, walking in a circle around me as he spoke. "Tall . . . he was, too . . . defiant . . . bold . . . but, otherwise, wise!" He laughed, and I flinched. He laughed loudly. Very loudly. VERY loudly. VERY—you get my drift?

I insisted, "Show him to me!"

Ganondorf stopped. "Mmm, persistent, are we? A little hasty. You deserve to wait, my dear. To wait a long time . . ."

I suddenly rushed at Ganondorf, catching him by surprise. I grabbed his sword. To my surprise and horror, the blade flared in my hands. Nonetheless, I kicked him over and pointed the sword at his chest. Ganondorf at first looked surprised, then he started to laugh.

"Go ahead! Kill me, and become even more like your father!"

"Who is he?" I said through gritted teeth. "Tell me!"

Ganondorf was silent for a while, staring at the sword. Then he looked at me and smirked. "Do you know why this sword flares as yours does? Why I am hunting you down? Why you can do certain things in my castle?"

I reviewed the facts in my mind, then dropped the sword in horror.

Ganondorf laughed. "Search your heart. You know it is true!

"Rebecca . . .

"I AM YOUR FATHER!"


	12. 11 - I Learn Who My Mom Is

[AN: The full title is "I Learn Who My Mom Is, and More Happens. Trigger warning for sexual assault and mistaking "misandry" for "feminism".]

I stepped backwards. "No . . . no . . . no, no, no, no, no! It's not true!"

Ganondorf laughed. "It most certainly is! A prophecy states that you would become stronger and more powerful, but only if you were raised by Hyleans! Now, you most certainly ARE strong and powerful! This is the full prophecy:

[AN: This bit was written in SMALL CAPS in the Flower-Covered Journal, just like FIRESTORM's name, but I've decided not to write it in ALL CAPS like I do for FIRESTORM.]

Power will father Wisdom

But must not raise her in his home.

She will only gain her true potential

If she feels unwanted and alone.

If Wisdom sacrificed for Courage,

She surely is Power's daughter.

And, though he hasn't seen her in 17 years,

That does not mean he has forgot her.

No; in fact, he will take her at this age

And bring the Triforce together for the blue moon.

The Spiritual Stones presented with their element,

And Wisdom's power shall be at its fullest soon!

Blood on the medallion, and song on the wind

And moon in the dometop hole,

Wisdom in the middle of the Triforce,

And the sacred bell toll.

[AN: End of SMALL CAPS.]

Ganondorf smiled and stood up with as much grace and dignity as he could muster. He pulled a small bell out of his sleeve. "I have the sacred bell—the bell used to ring out that a new king had been crowned—and Link has the Ocarina for the 'song on the wind'—the Royal Lullaby—and you have the medallion, er, or I do. I entrusted my loyal son with the three spiritual stones. You need only stand in the middle of the Triforce symbol on the floor, with Link and I present, and let the light of the Blue Moon wash over you. But, that is tomorrow. Today, you rest." He clapped his hands behind and to the left of his head. To my surprise, Rose appeared, with Danny on her shoulder. She looked at me, then Ganondorf as he said, "I am going to take care of some . . . business . . . with the Hyleans. I need you to take my daughter here to see her wonderful mother."

Rose nodded and gently took me by the arm. "Right this way, m'lady."

As Rose led me through more halls and doors, she talked with me about various things. I found that, besides her being a Gerudo and extremely feminist, we were much alike. We both hated Ganondorf and Armondorf, we both liked watching the same plays, and we both just loved Danny!

Then we came to yet another handleless door, which Rose opened with a touch of her hand. Inside, there sat a Hylean woman with long brown hair. Her head was bowed, so I couldn't see her face. She was weeping.

Rose cleared her throat. "Madam? Your . . . daughter."

The woman looked up, and I recognized her face, though from where, I did not know. She looked at my face, then stood up. "Rebecca?"

I stepped forward. "Mother!"

We hugged each other and laughed and cried. It felt good to be in my own mother's arms. I wanted the moment to last forever.

But, it didn't.

I heard the sound of someone clearing his throat, and it most certainly was NOT Rose.

I turned around to see Armondorf. I could almost hear my mother's anger as she said, "Oh." I looked back at her, and she looked remarkably like I do when I'm defiant and angry.

I turned back towards Armondorf as he said, "The time with your mother is over. Don't worry, you'll see her again." He laughed and grabbed my arm. I looked back at my mother as Armondorf dragged me away, and I knew where I had seen that face before.

My mother was the Queen of Hyrule.

* * *

Later, that evening, I was standing in the porch area, looking out at the sunset. It was beautiful, but I couldn't focus on the beauty when I knew what my heritage was. I . . . a princess? My mind, which was used to the idea of being a poor girl, could not process it.

"Beautiful, hm?"

I gasped and looked over to see Armondorf beside me, leaning forward onto the stone rail.

I racked my brain for a witty response and came up with the brainy and sly phrase, "Quite."

Armondorf looked at me and smiled. "You look good in black."

"Shut up," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, keep your forked tongue behind your fangs, you snake!" I glared at Armondorf.

Armondorf laughed, and when the motion is over, his hands were around the base of my neck. "I'd rather be a snake than away from you." At this, he brought his face into mine and planted his lips on my mouth. I almost slapped him, but I was paralyzed. As if I were a marionette, my arms involuntarily wrapped around Armondorf. I whimpered.

When he finally let me go, I slapped him so hard, the impact point on his skin seemed to glow red. "And restrain those reptilian lips! They probably have strayed to the lips of other women."

Armondorf gingerly touched the cheek that I had slapped and looked at me smugly. "I have reserved myself for my sister . . . I'm glad I'm only adopted!" He laughed, but it was halfway between a chuckle and a laugh.

Armondorf smirked at me, and I was reminded of those sharp, but otherwise normal, canines.

"S . . . sir?"

Armondorf turned around to look at a meek guard. "What is it?"

Wordlessly, the guard stepped aside, and a wolf was thrown to the ground in front of Armondorf. The wolf was brown and gray. It growled at Armondorf. I shrieked.

Armondorf grinned. "Ah. Stupid little dog. You did something, eh?" He laughed, and the "dog" barked and growled.

Armondorf suddenly turned black and shrank to the size of a three-week-old horse. Then the blackness dissipated, and Armondorf was a strange, wolf-like creature with tusks. He was mostly black, but with a red streak running down his back.

"I find you are much more managable in this state." To my surprise, I could understand every word Armondorf was saying. He was talking!

"This is only a temporary setback. You can still howl . . . Link."

I stared at Armondorf. Was he serious? Was this wolf really . . . Link?

Armondorf simply looked at me, into my eyes. "Shocked, eh? That your . . . beloved would be like this?" He turned black again, grew, and was his old, cocky, Gerudo self once more.

"Only I can reverse this curse, but I want him to stay like this. Unless, of course, you want to be able to turn into a wolf . . . whenever you please."

I looked at Link. If I were a wolf, I could . . . I could stay with Link. I looked at Armondorf, and said, "I'll accept."

Armondorf examined his cuticles. "Of course, there IS a price . . ." He looked deep into my eyes. "You must kiss me whenever I ask."

I bit my lip. Just thinking about that unpleasant experience made me shudder. But whenever he asked . . . ?

But . . . Link meant that much to me. I slowly nodded.

Armondorf smirked and said, "Kiss me now."

I closed my eyes, sighed, and opened my eyes. "All right." I wanted to hold him off 'til the cows came home, so I stepped forward and threw my arms around his neck. I kissed him, and he seemed quite pleased. Then he put his hand on my arm and clenched.

Immediately I began convulsing. Searing pain racked my body. I groaned. Blood rushed to my head, then my feet, flowing back and forth. I screamed. I fell to the ground. Darkness.


	13. 12 - I'm Baaaaaaaack

I awoke to hear many sounds I had never heard before. I heard talking and whimpering. Then I was fully awake.

"Rebecca!"

I was staring into the eyes of Link. He was still a wolf.

I jumped up, and realized that I had paws. White paws . . . and white legs . . . and a white muzzle . . .

"I'm a white wolf!"

Link sighed. "That you are. But, no offense, I think you are far more beautiful as a wolf than as a Hylean/Gerudo."

I laughed. "None taken. I do look good in white!" At this we both laughed. Our laughs echoed off of stone walls, and I realized that we were back in that high-security dungeon cell. I sighed. "We're back." I lay down and put my chin on my paws.

Link lay down in front of me, his paws touching my paws, and put his chin on his paws. He licked my nose. "Oh, it's okay. You have the power to reverse the curse on me, too!"

I looked at him with both exasperation and relief in my eyes. "You could've told me that sooner!"

In a few minutes, we were our old selves.

I was overjoyed. I laughed maniacly, that is, crazily, not evily. Link laughed along, until I stopped him. With my lips. He was shocked at my motion, but nonetheless seemed to enjoy it.

When I was done, I smiled at link. He seemed . . . contemplative. At first, he seemed thoughtful, then grossed out.

"Ew!" he said. Then he looked thoughtful again, then hurt.

"Link, what is it?" I asked.

Link looked at me sadly. "When I was a wolf, I couldn't understand human speech . . . why did you . . . I mean, how could you . . ."

"Kiss him?" I finished.

"Exactly." Link said affirmitavely.

"I had to! Your . . . Hyleandom . . . was at stake! He made me promise to kiss him whenever he asked!" I was crying some now.

Link saw my tears, but didn't seem to care. "Made you, or suggested?"

Just then, Armondorf barged in.

"Oh, look who decided to drop in." Link sounded even more hurt now.

"Link . . ." I started.

Armondorf put his hand on my shoulder. "Just let him be the snooty, stuck-up brat he is."

I turned on Armondorf. "Are you talking about a mirror?" I turned back to Link and tried my level best to comfort him. Most of my phrases were, "Link . . . I . . . oh . . ."

Needless to say, I did not succeed in comforting Link. He simply shut me out.

And I was in the cold.


	14. 13 - I Get in a Disagreement

When Armondorf came in again (he had left), he found me sitting by Link, looking sadly at him. Armondorf led me out of the dungeon. I was very angry at him, for what he made me do.

Armondorf saw my anger and said, "What is it, hm?" He stopped in front of the door to the porch area, which was the entryway to the special rooms of the royalty.

"You ruined my life the moment I saw your face," I said through gritted teeth.

Armondorf smirked. "You are quite the actress." He gestured to himself. "You pretend to dislike me."

I crossed my arms, turned away from him, and said grudgingly, "What makes you think I'm acting?"

Armondorf put his hand on my shoulder. "Oh, come on! You must admit I'm . . . oh, I don't know . . . attractive?"

Well . . . it's not like I'd never admit it . . . I mean, if someone threatened to kill me, I'd admit it. But then? No.

"I'd never admit it," I declared, not daring to look at Armondorf, or I'd almost certainly rebuke my claim.

"We are perfect for each other," Armondorf said, ignoring my statement. "I am hungry for power, and you have the wisdom to control it. When father dies, I will have control of the castle, and then . . . the world!" Armondorf walked around in front of me. "And you will help me."

I stared defiantly into his eyes. "So I'm a tool?"

"An ally." Armondorf smirked. "And a powerful one at that.

"Of course," he went on, "You might be more than that . . . much more . . ." He reached behind me to the door and touched it, causing it to open. "In" was the word he said, and as I went in that direction, I saw that it was nighttime. The moon was almost full. Tomorrow . . .

Armondorf closed the door and stepped forward. "Kiss me."

I turned around and thought, "No." But instead of saying it, I focused. My vision went blurry, and a few colors faded, and I was a wolf again.

"Ah," Armondorf said. He could speak Wolfspeak! "Two can play at this game." He turned into that tusked wolf-creature, and I saw that he was still mildly good-looking. Many thoughts do wolf's eyes change.

Just then, Ganondorf walked into the room, Mom in tow. Her hair was greatly tousled and wild, and she looked irritated. Then she saw us and looked—and smelled—afraid.

"Calm down, Sara. It's only a bit of sibling rivalry." Somehow, both he and Mother understood Wolfspeak. Ganondorf walked forward and picked us up by our scruffs. "Stop fighting. She could begin to hold a grudge against us!" He laughed. "And we don't want THAT happening, hm?" He and Armondorf laughed together. My eyes widened with fear. Hearing them laugh together was grounds for panic.

"But I am busy. Have fun!" Ganondorf put us down and turned to Mother. I was aware of a shackle on her leg, and a chain attached to the shackle. Ganondorf was holding the end of the chain. He said something to her in Hylean, then laughed. Mother screamed, and jerked on the chain. "No!" was the only word I understood, and it was coming out of Mother.

Ganondorf snapped his fingers, and not only was he and Mother gone, but Armondorf and I were our old selves.

* * *

That night was the first night in a long time that I had slept in a real bed, though even though it was the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in, it was the least restful sleep. I kept hearing ghastly organ music, which, I learned (from exploring), was coming from a room in the "house" part of the castle. It was Ganondorf playing, while Armondorf looked on.

I was lying in bed, waiting for the tired anti-think to come. I was so tired . . . so unhappy . . . so scared . . .

Suddenly, I heard knocking. I tentatively looked at my bedroom door and called, "Come in!"

It wasn't Armondorf who answered, or any of my parents—it was Link!

"Link!" I said in surprise.

He nodded. "They let me see you. I figured you'd like to see me, after a long and eventful day, and also before one." He grinned.

I sighed. "Do you know what will happen tomorrow?"

Link nodded, and said, "First, they will present the three spiritual stones with their element; fire with fire, water with water, and leaves and twigs with forest. Then Ganondorf will cut your finger so blood comes out, and put some blood onto your wisdom medallion. The medallion will go around your neck. Then you stand in the middle of the Triforce symbol on the floor of the domed room. As the full moon passes over, it will seem to fill the hole in the ceiling. I will have to play the Royal Lullaby, and Ganondorf will ring the bell. Then . . . I don't know." Link went quiet.

I got an idea. "I'm having trouble sleeping. Could you play the lullaby, since I'm technically royalty?"

Link smiled and got out his Ocarina—a blue instrument with a Triforce near the mouthpiece. Then he began to play that melody from the night Ganondorf was outside my window.

I thought about my day, and about how I felt about Link. He could be short-tempered sometimes, and could be . . . what's the word? . . . Assumptuous. Yes. But he was also repentant, and loving, and strong . . . plus, he wasn't too bad-looking. I mean, well . . . he was pretty handsome.

So—how did I feel? I didn't know.

When he was dome playing, Link looked back at me. He smiled at me. "Getting sleepy?"

I nodded, and grinned.

Link leaned over to me and whispered, "I never knew how to say this before, but now, I find that it will be easy. Before . . . well, never mind that. Rebecca . . . I . . . I . . ." He leaned in more. "I love you."

He pulled away, but I grabbed his arm. I had made my decision.

"I love you, too."

Link seemed puzzled at first, then overjoyed. "You . . . do?"

I laughed. "Why else would I say it?"

Link smiled and kissed me. "I can't think of anything." He pulled away one last time, lingered for a moment, then left.


	15. 14 - I Have an Unhappy Birthday

[AN: Trigger warning here for sexual assault.]

I woke the next morning to see Armondorf at the foot of my bed. He was smiling smugly at me. I gasped when I saw him.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He laughed. "Today's the day, ain't it?"

I had not expected him to use this form of slang. "Ain't." Humph. Such vulgarity!

"Yes, today, today, today! Today your full power will be reached! A great birthday present if ever there was one! And speaking of presents . . ." Armondorf pulled a package from inside his cape somewhere. "Happy Birthday."

I took the package and opened it up. "It's . . . a . . . er, what is it?"

Armondorf picked up the little sapphire in the box. "It's a Wisdom Gem. Your Medallion is not complete. There were originally nine sockets for nine Wisdom Gems. Then . . . the Medallion broke. The six sages used their combined power to fix it, but they could not reinstall the gems. The gems were scattered throughout Hyrule. Someday . . . someone should find them all." Armondorf handed the Wisdom Gem back to me. I looked down at it, but Armondorf put his hand under my chin. "I plan to."

For a fleeting moment, I forgot about the fact that we were enemies. I forgot about the fact that he had ruined my life. I forgot that he and Link were sworn enemies! I just gazed deep into Armondorf's eyes, and he gazed back.

When the moment passed, I said, "I hope you die as you do so."

Armondorf pulled back in surprise, then turned on his heel and left.

* * *

That afternoon, I was roaming the "house" part of the castle. I walked around, looking at statues and art of the royalty. Most of it was of Ganondorf, some was of Mother, and some was of Armondorf. One room had a painting of Mother holding baby me. There was also an unfinished statue of me, riding a horse.

As I went down the staircase to explore more, I tripped. I went down the stairs rolling: THUD-BUMP-BUMP!

At the end of the staircase, I crashed into something soft, warm and . . . bony. I heard a vague grunt, then "Oof!" I fell further, rolled a bit, then flopped on top of the person I had crashed into.

"Armondorf!" I exclaimed.

He looked mildly amused. "Look who decided to drop in!" He laughed.

"Har har," I said. "What a stupid pun. Let me go." He had his hand on my waist and his other hand on my back. "No," he said.

"Armondorf—"

"Kiss me."

I gulped. Another incident like yesterday's would probably land Link in the dog kennel. I decided to struggle a little, to see what he would do.

"No," I said, struggling.

Armondorf held tighter. "You WILL kiss me."

"No, I won't."

Armondorf pressed me closer to him. "Ooh . . ."

That disturbed me greatly. The way he said it . . . I shuddered to think what he meant.

He craned his neck towards me. "You will kiss me now."

It was almost as if time slowed down. I had that marionette feeling again as my head bent down towards his. I was completely helpless. I shuddered as our lips touched, and I tried desperately to move, but I was paralyzed. I whimpered.

Armondorf let go, after a while. I slapped him. "Conniving little wretched snake! You little demon! I oughta kill you!" I got up and deliberately stomped on his face as I stormed off.

* * *

Later, Rose took me to a pool near Ganondorf's castle, so that I could wash up for the ceremony. With Rose watching for Armondorf or anyone (or anything) else like that, I undressed, washed, and dried. Then I heard Rose say casually, though with a slightly louder voice, "Hello, Armondorf."

I panicked. I wasn't dressed. I dashed to the nearest bush and hid in it.

"Rose!" Armondorf replied. "What brings YOU out here? Maybe you, too, wanted to see Rebecca?"

I gasped. How did he know I was there?

"PERVERT!" Rose said angrily. Then I heard a yelp—cut short. I saw a black line shoot into the air, then shoot at the castle. I heard Armondorf laugh, and then I heard footsteps.

"Rebecca, who is in the lone bush next to the stone shaped like a mango, come out!"

Shoot. How did he know what a mango looked like?

"No," I said.

Armondorf saw my clothes. "Ahh . . ."

I shuddered. "Absolutely not! Um . . . could you hand me my robe?" Then, though I thought I was only thinking it, I said, "I'd do a favor for you."

Armondorf paused. "You would do a favor for me."

I winced.

"You . . . I . . ." He seemed as if he had just found a housefull of gold. "Opprotunity . . . Wow. I . . ." He also seemed like he had no idea how to spend it.

"I didn't mean it!" I cried.

"Too late, you've made your choice." Armondorf laughed. "Let's see . . . hmm . . . well . . . Maybe if you renewed your vow to kiss me whenever I ask—and I mean WHENEVER—be it day or night, rain or shine—I would give you the robe."

I gulped. There was another catch. If I said yes, he would ask . . . but . . .

"Agreed," I said.

"Kiss me now," Armondorf said, casually inspecting his cuticles.

"You haven't given me my robe yet, you moron!" I said, making a loophole out of Armondorf's loophole.

Armondorf examined my bush. "Kiss me now, as an act of good faith." He smirked.

"Give me the robe as an act of good faith," I replied calmly.

A pause. I knew Armondorf didn't trust me. I prepared a comeback for a lot of phrases (i.e. "I don't trust you"—"I don't trust you either") and actions (i.e., him charging—me screaming and swatting him) but not "Okay" and giving the robe to me.

That was what happened.

I hid my surprise as I awkwardly put on the robe. I slowly stood up. "See?" I clambered out of the bush. "Happy?"

"Not really."

"UGH!" I groaned. "What do you want me to do, marry you?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized that they were a poor choice of words.

Armondorf lunged and pinned my arms to my back. He leaned his head in close to my ear. "I will let you off with a warning. A simple one—and it is this: do not tempt me. For your . . . sanity's sake." He turned me around and held my hands firmly in one hand and my cheek firmly in the other. "Though a little temptation is good. It teaches you to resist."

I struggled hopelessly. "Then why don't you resist?"

Armondorf shrugged. "I'm a terrible student. What else can I say?" At this he brought my face to his. He kissed me over and over again, but he allowed me to struggle. At first I did not know why, but then I felt my robe slipping.

I closed my eyes and stopped struggling. I concentrated hard. Armondorf persisted in his reverie.

Suddenly, there was a burst of light, and I was in . . . that dungeon cell.

And Link was there!

"Link!" I exclaimed, and realized that I was now wearing that light, black armor.

Link was sitting on the cot, staring at the ground. When he looked up and saw me, he practically flew at me.

It felt good to be in Link's warm embrace again. I almost cried as his muscular arms wrapped around me.

"Oh, Rebecca!" Link breathed. "It looks like you discovered Nayru's Love."

"What's that?" I asked, my head cocked.

"It is special magic that imbues any Triforce of Wisdom holder with supreme protection. Just concentrate on being anywhere else, and presto!"

"You could've told me that sooner," I mumbled.

Link smiled. "Things not going so well with Armondorf?"

I told him about the day's experiences.

"Ouch." Link bit his lip. "I bet he'll find his way to you again today. Somehow."

I walked over to the cell door and put my hand on the lock. It clicked open. I opened the door. "We'd better leave."

Link sighed. "I can't."

I looked back at him. "Whyever not?"

Link sat back down on the cot. "I have been cursed, and so have you. If you leave the castle grounds, you WILL die. Instantly. Of course, Ganondorf and his men will find your body and ressurect it, probably using a Dark Fairy. Dark Fairies are terrible creatures. They will ressurect you, but by taking however many souls the person's life is worth. Your real worth is . . . well, over a hundred."

My eyes widened. "Over a hundred!" I walked over to him and sat down next to him.

Link put my hand in his. "But you are priceless to me."

I smiled. "Thanks." I kissed him.

Link looked over at me. "Random souls, too, maybe even the souls of Ganondorf and his men. That's why Dark Fairies are so terrible. But, if Ganondorf survives, you will be taken into his army. You will have no memory of hating him. You will serve him."

I shuddered.

"You shudder a lot, don't you?" Link smiled.

I nodded. "Yes. That's because I am disturbed a lot." I laughed.

* * *

I stayed with Link until I saw that the sun was setting. I heard footsteps, concentrated, and found myself at the beginning of a long hallway filled with mirrors. With adrenaline coursing through my body, I ran down the seemingly endless hallway.

After a while, I stopped. I was exhausted. I collapsed onto the ground, too tired to get up.

Five minutes later. I got up and looked around. Hallway, hallway, mirror, reflection, hallway—wait. Back to reflection.

My mind was playing tricks on me. That wasn't me in the mirror . . .

_Ganondorf!_

I broke into a run. Ganondorf did, too. He perfectly mimicked my every step. I ran faster and faster until I almost crashed into the wall at the end of the hallway.

I heard footsteps, and saw Ganondorf, out of the mirror.

Ganondorf smirked. "My race is opprotunistic, and this was one I couldn't resist." He snapped, and we were in the domed room. It was already dark, and I could see the faint glow of the moon at the very edge of the dometop hole. Link was bound and gagged on the floor.

Ganondorf chuckled. "It looks like everyone is present and called for." Armondorf stepped up next to his adopted father. "Let us begin."


	16. 15 - I Become What I Am

The ritual began with three Gerudo women in (revealing) black, thick robes bringing forth three bowls. One had an ornately decorated ruby, one a sapphire, and the last one an emerald. Each woman also carried a pitcher.

The three bowls were set on altars, and as they did so, I saw the face of one.

"Rose!" I mouthed.

She smiled at me, and I saw Danny's head poke out of her sleeve. I smiled back. Rose's gaze drifted to Armondorf, who smirked. Rose self-consciously adjusted her robe to more cover her bosom.

Each Gerudo woman poured their pitcher into their bowl. Onto the emerald, leaves and twigs, the former of which danced in the air. Onto the ruby, oil, which lit instantly. Onto the sapphire, water, which leapt and splashed in the bowl.

Ganondorf pushed me into the center of the Triforce symbol on the floor, and the altars were placed on the triangles around me. I looked up. The moon was now visible in the edge of the hole.

Ganondorf gripped my hand and unsheathed a knife on his belt. He cut my hand and squeezed the blood onto my Wisdom Medallion, which I realized, had my Wisdom Gem in it. Ganondorf put the medallion around my neck.

"To signify oneness with the elements of the world," Ganondorf said, gesturing to the altars, "The spiritual stones!

"To signify wisdom in blood, the blood on the medallion!

"To signify royalty, the Royal Lullaby!" Ganondorf motioned to Link, who was unbound and given his Ocarina. He put the mouthpiece to his lips and played. I swayed gently in time with the music. At the end of the song, I looked up. The moon had almost filled the hole.

"And . . ." Ganondorf got out the tiny bell from his cape. "To signify her transformation from what she is now to something much more . . . the bell!" I looked up at the moon. Just one more second . . .

Ganondorf rang the bell just as the moon filled the hole. I expected a tiny TING, not a BONG! But that is exactly the sound that filled my ears. As soon as the bell was rung, the fire died out, the water became still, and the leaves dropped into the bowl. I felt . . . no different.

"Maybe it didn't work," I started to say, but then I screamed in agony. My left hand was searing with pain. I looked at it and saw that the Triforce was glowing. I began convulsing. I dropped to the ground. I thought my vision was failing, but then I FELT it . . . the ground and air was rippling! I closed my eyes and groaned. My voice was echoing strangely. Then I found I couldn't move. I was enveloped in a strange, blue light . . .

* * *

"Rebecca!"

I opened my eyes. I was hovering in midair. I saw strange things—they must have been fairies—surrounding me. They were floating and flitting around my head. I was still in the domed room, staring into Link's scared eyes.

_Link,_ I thought, _why are you so scared? It's me!_

Link was staring directly at my eyes. "Rebecca, your eyes . . . your skin . . . you . . . oh!"

Wordlessly, Rose brought a six-foot-long mirror in front of me.

Well, my eyes and skin certainly were different. My eyes were red—no, the irises weren't red, I had red whites and black pupils. My skin was white, with red markings on my face, and blue spots that faded in with the white. My hair was pure white. I was wearing a white dress with red and light blue markings on it.

_Gah!_ I thought. _What am I?_

"You are now at your fullest power. You are what is called a deity."


End file.
